nesariafandomcom-20200213-history
Nesaria
Nesaria Note: Not to be confused with Nesarian Empire. Nesaria is the most populous country within the Nesarian Empire. As the name would suggest, the Nesarians conquered the Nesarian Empire, and so Nesaria retains a place of primacy amongst the other Imperial countries, sharing its capital (Ascaria) with the Empire. It is the only country within the Empire which the Emperor is the head of state of, although the Emperor has held little political power in the country since the Bloodless Revolution - parliament holds the real power in Nesaria. It is the only country within the Empire that has an uncodified constitution. Its state religion is Elveta. Its national animal is the Rexada. The name Nesaria is the Eshérian (i.e. vowel-shifted) form of Old Elvic Naszaréá, which is derived from Nasz (Human) and Aréá (Land), so Nesaria literally means Human-Land. Nesaria has approximately 25,000,000 citizens, making it the most populous country in the Empire. Approximately 85% of these citizens are native-born, the remainder being roughly equally split between migrants from other Imperial countries and migrants from outside the Empire - primarily Estemorians, Italians, Greeks and Russians, in order from largest to smallest. Nesaria is home to many different indigenous cultures and races. It is the only known home of the Dungors, and is one of the two homes of the Orcs. The vast majority of the Eshérian population is no longer genetically Elvish, but small pockets of "true" Elves remain. Fossilised remains prove that Dragons also once roamed Nesaria, but for an unknown reason they died out or left. Nesarian is the primary language spoken in Nesaria. Other regional and official languages are usually second languages of Nesarian speakers. Even the Mortian Orcs will generally learn Nesarian before they learn Mortian. The Nesarian people also exist in Cratate (colonies) in other countries within the Empire, and have a limited presence in the part of Russia once owned by the Nesarian Empire. However, the Nesarians in Cratate within Russia were mostly expelled or killed in the Nesarian Genocide. Duchies Nesaria consists of nine Duchies, also known as Shires. In the Nesarian language, the word for shire is "tivon", which is synonymous with "duchy" in an expressly Nesarian context, but the term "tivon" is never used for geographical divisions outside Nesaria. These Duchies are as follows: * Ascaria * Wallshire (Cafanivon) * Mountaingate (Redalu) * Infrishire (Infrivon) * Cortathshire (Cortathivon) * Eshérshire (Eshérivon) * Dongrishire (Dongrisivon, known as Dongrivon in the Cortathian dialect) * Zatholshire (Zatholivon) * Mortia (Known as Mortog in Mortian) Geography Nesaria is contained entirely within a deep basin which is believed to be an ancient dried-up lake, possibly evaporated during the Age of Titans. The very high and sheer cliffs which create the walls of the basin - known as the Great Cliffs - had cut off Nesaria from the rest of the world until the Great Ramp was finished in 15BC. The Great Ramp is the only way in and out of Nesaria by land, and in 1844 a railway was constructed going up and down the ramp, connecting to the rail network in Estemoria. The region immediately surrounding Nesaria is harsh desert, however all of Nesaria is temperate, with the south being warmer and drier. The terrain and weather of Nesaria itself is thought to be magical, as there is no other possible reason for the seemingly impossible biome diversity and the fact that the Great Cliffs do not suffer from erosion. There are several small lakes and rivers, but the largest body of water is Lake Jerumtine in the south-west, the largest lake and largest body of freshwater on the Eurasian continent. The North The north is largely defined by its cool temperate climate, similar to that of England, and it mainly supports meadow and woodland, giving way to heath and moorland where rugged hills rise out of the relatively flat plains. Ascaria Prior to urbanisation, Ascaria was a large and flat expanse of meadow, with woodland in the north-west and sparse small patches of woodland across the whole area. Ascaria quickly grew throughout the centuries, and in modern times the metropolitan area of Ascaria takes up the whole duchy. Ascaria is the most densely populated and heavily urbanised region of Nesaria, and it contains just under half of the whole country's population. The Ascarian Mountains, which separate Ascaria from Infrishire to the east and Mountaingate to the south-east, lay atop large reserves of iron, coal and marble, although the mountains themselves are quite devoid of any such minerals. In the north-east, mining operations still go on, although a significant portion of the reserves have been depleted. Mining hit a peak in 1872, and now only one-third of the mines from those times are still active. The deepest of the abandoned mines have been proposed as sites to store nuclear waste, although nothing has come of this yet. The Ascarian Mountains also hold the entrance to Dungoria, the large underground complex that houses the Dungors. The geography of Dungoria is explained in its own page. Ascaria borders Wallshire to the south and the Ascarian Mountains to the east. Wallshire Wallshire (or Cafanivon), directly south of Ascaria, has much the same environment as its northern neighbour, made up of meadow with patches of woodland. Approximately 2/3 of Wallshire's population is within the two major cities of Wallton (Cafanoles) and Whiteport (Nastifes), and most of the remaining 1/3 lives along the towns on the coast, which sports white sandy beaches that attracts many tourists. The rest of the shire is rural, its fertile soil historically being the main food source for Ascaria, but Ascaria has since grown so large that it imports food from across Nesaria and from Estemoria. Wallshire takes its name from the Great Wall of Ascaria, which separates Ascaria from Wallshire, and has done since the foundation of the Kingdom of Ascaria in 600BC. Wallshire borders Ascaria to the north, Mountaingate to the east, and Lake Jerumtine to the south. Mountaingate Mountaingate (or Redalu) is the smallest duchy. Although it is a separate duchy, most consider it to be within the geographic and cultural region of Wallshire. The duchy of Mountaingate takes its name from the fortified city of Mountaingate that lies almost directly in its centre, the walls of which were last expanded in 533, although some parts of the two earlier sets of walls (built in 230BC and 45AD) still remain. None of the earliest wall of 614BC remains. Mountaingate has become a popular tourist attraction for its medieval look and well-preserved walls. The land around the walled city of Mountaingate is rugged hills and moorland. Much of this is populated with hamlets and small villages sustained by sheep and cattle farming. Historically, mines in rich mineral deposits supported larger towns, but since much of this has been depleted, most of the population of the ex-mining towns migrated elsewhere. Mountaingate is sandwiched between Wallshire to the west and Infrishire to the east. The Ascarian Mountains block off the north and the Mortian Mountains block off the south, which historically put Mountaingate in a very valuable strategic position, as it controlled access between Wallshire (and therefore Ascaria) and the rest of the north. Infrishire Infrishire (or Infrivon) is, much like most of the north, made up mainly of meadow and woodland, but approximately 1/3 of the entire duchy is taken up by the dense Infrian Forest in the north, an exceedingly ancient old growth forest. The outskirts of the forest support a small but sustained timber industry, however the interior of the forest is simply far too dense to work, and since the 17th century, environmental laws have restricted further expansion into the forest. The unforested region of Infrishire is mostly flat, and the forested region is more hilly. Infrishire takes its name from Infria, the largest city in the region. The two other largest towns are Invér and Athér, both of which are fairly close by Infria. The rest of the duchy is mainly rural. Infrishire borders Mountaingate and the Ascarian Mountains to the west, Cortathshire to the east, and the Mortian Mountains to the south. Cortathshire Cortathshire (or Cortathivon) has an environment distinct from the rest of the north. It is the hilliest and most rugged region of Nesaria, and it is the coldest and wettest. Most of it is heath and moorland, dotted with woodland (which is mostly made up of pine trees), although the flatter south-western corner supports meadow not unlike the rest of the north. The exception to this is the area bordering Infrishire known as "the Muds", which - due to the peculiar way the water drains through the land, probably in addition to an underground reservoir - is almost constantly saturated with water, making the land very muddy and most of it can be defined as bog and mire. Although Cortathshire's hills are its defining feature, the majority of the population lives in the flatter south-west. The largest population centre in the hills is the city of Cortath itself, which holds around 1/5 of the duchy's population, the lowest proportion of any duchy capital. Most of the hills are populated by small villages and hamlets, which historically mainly operated off sheep farming, but in recent times a strong tourism industry has developed in the region. Cortathshire borders Infrishire to the west, the Mortian Mountains to the south-west, and Eshérshire to the south. Eshérshire Eshérshire (or Eshérivon) occupies a somewhat awkward position, as in both geographic and cultural terms it is the transition zone between north and south, having traits of both but not fully either one. The majority of it is made up of the Eshérian Marsh, which is not in fact a marsh but a brackish swamp, which continues to be one of the main sources of salt for Nesaria. The Eshérian Marsh is very sparsely populated, only containing somewhere around 2% of the duchy's population. Only a few hamlets lie along the two Marsh Paths, the only roads through the Marsh, which lie along the driest segments. These hamlets are typically centred around taverns or inns which historically served as resting houses and way-stations for travellers through the Marsh. The rest of the population lives in various towns south of the Marsh, the largest of which is Eshér (which gives the duchy its name), which holds around 40% of the duchy's population. This area is made up of meadow and woodland. Eshérshire borders Cortathshire to the north, the Mortian Mountains to the west, and Dongrishire to the south. The South The south is significantly warmer than the north, although its climate is still certainly temperate, similar to that of northern Italy. It receives less rainfall than the north, but it is by no means dry. Woodland is generally sparser, and the grassland is less fertile. Technically, much of the grassland in the southernmost section could be defined as savanna, although it is typically not referred to as such. Dongrishire Dongrishire (or Dongrisivon, also known as Dongrivon in some dialects) is the hottest and driest duchy. It is predominantly made up of dry meadow, woodland and some areas of what could be called savanna. The defining feature of Dongrishire is Mount Dongris, an active volcano which has frequent but mild eruptions. Although the soil around Mount Dongris is fertile owing to the volcanic minerals, it is relatively thin and lies on rocky ground, supporting straggly shrubland. The soil cannot support a great deal of crops, but it is excellent at growing the unique Dongrisian grapes, which grow somewhat slowly but are packed full of flavour, and make the internationally renowned Dongrisian wine. In recent times, olives have also been grown along the slopes of Mount Dongris. It is unknown whether Mount Dongris was named after the capital city of Dongris, or whether the volcano was named after the city. The city of Dongris itself makes up around 35% of the duchy's population, and the metropolitan area centred around Mount Dongris (of which Dongris is a part) makes up just over half. The remainder is scattered throughout rural villages across the duchy, although there is another major population centre around Blood Lake, which was named after the large Vampire population that once lived there, which is now extinct. Dongrishire borders Eshérshire to the north, the Mortian Mountains to the north-west, and Zatholshire to the west. Zatholshire Zatholshire (or Zatholivon) is defined by the large Zathol River that runs through it, cutting the duchy in half. The northern half (which is sometimes known as the Mortian Borderlands) is cooler, wetter and significantly flatter than the larger southern half, supporting an environment of meadow and woodland, much like the northern duchies. The southern half is drier and, towards the south, hilly. The valleys of these hills support meadow and woodland but the higher elevations are made up of dry scrubland, as the water drains away from the peaks and into the valleys. Some of the environment at the foothills could be described as savanna. The city of Zathol sits along the Zathol River, about 2/3 of it on the southern side and the remainder stretching across to the north side. Although the Dongrisian metropolitan area is larger, Zathol is the largest singular city in the south, holding nearly half of Zatholshire's population. Much of the remainder is situated along the gravelly coast. Zatholshire borders Lake Jerumtine to the west, Mortia and the Mortian Mountains to the north, and Dongrishire to the east. Mortia Mortia is split into two distinct segments: Mortia itself and the Mortian Mountains. The Mortian Mountains are the tallest mountains in Nesaria, and the huge mountain range is the country's defining feature, going across nearly the whole width of the country and cutting off the north from the south. As the mountains cover a wide area, the environment they support varies significantly. Generally, the mountains are drier in the south and wetter in the north, but in both cases the water drains into valleys quite rapidly, resulting in the peaks being very dry but the valleys are usually quite fertile and support groves of pine trees. In some of these valleys, hamlets have been set up, but permanent inhabitants in the Mortian Mountains are rare due to how isolated the valleys are from the rest of civilisation. Throughout the winter, the peaks are usually tipped with snow. The Mortian Mountains also feed the Zathol River from an underground spring within the mountains, supplemented by the snow melt every spring. Mortia itself is a flat plain within the mountains, entirely surrounded by tall peaks except for the thin, snaky Mortia Passage that connects it to Zatholshire. It is unknown how Mortia and especially the Passage came to be, and most theorise that it was somehow a result of the devastation of the Annihilation, as such a feature would be unlikely to form naturally. Due to being surrounded by mountains, Mortia has unpredictable weather patterns and is often veiled by clouds, particularly in the winter. All of Mortia is now urbanised, but prior to that it was entirely meadow. The existence of fossilised wood in the region strongly suggests that it was once woodland, but this was all cut down by the Mortians. After its destruction in the Mortian War, Mortia was the backwater of Nesaria for many centuries, until the industrial revolution saw it restore its status as a city. The Mortian Renaissance saw a re-awakening of Mortian national identity and a huge spur in growth, and Mortia is now the second-largest city in Nesaria, behind Ascaria. The skyline of Mortia was carefully planned so that the restored Mortian Citadel, the centrepiece of Mortia, is visible from nearly everywhere in the city. Nesarian Parliament The Nesarian Parliament consists of two chambers - the People's Assembly (lower house) and the Lord's Council (upper house). The executive power belongs to the People's Assembly. Both houses can submit bills to be considered by Parliament. Both houses must agree on a bill before it is passed into law. Only the People's Assembly can outright vote to reject bills, but if no agreement between the two houses is met within eight months, the bill is dropped. If the People's Assembly is trying to pass a bill which was explicitly mentioned in the ruling party's manifesto, the Lord's Council can only delay for up to a month before the bill is automatically passed. All bills must be approved by the Emperor before they can be passed into law, however in practice the Emperor agrees to pass all bills into law. This system was established by the Bloodless Revolution in 1980, restoring a system which had previously been in place since 1812 but was abolished by Emperor Adrion I after the March on Capera in 1930. During the fascist era under Adrion, the Emperor held total supremacy over the executive and legislation. The People's Assembly did not exist, and instead the Lord's Council took its place and the Emperor served a similar role to the one the Lord's Council serves today. The Prime Minister is elected and serves 5-year terms with no term limit. All people over 18 may vote, unless they are in prison. Voters must show valid ID before they are able to vote (which was implemented after it was found that a large number of non-citizens voted in the 1989 election). The People's Assembly consists of 304 elected MPs who represent a constituency, although there is much talk of splitting Nesaria into as many as 350 constituencies. The Lord's Council consists currently of 400 Lords (the number is capped at 450) of which 90 are hereditary, 20 are religious and the rest are appointed. The Prime Minister can appoint up to 20 ministers each term, and the Emperor can appoint as many ministers as he likes. The Emperor also has the power to dismiss Lords, with the consent of the Imperial Council. The Emperor holds the right to dismantle the People's Assembly on the vaguely-worded condition that it is "in crisis". This would make the Nesarian government function in the same way as the Imperial Government, where the Lord's Council becomes the lower house and the Emperor becomes the upper house. This is the way that the Nesarian Parliament functioned under Emperor Adrion I. The Emperor also holds the right to dissolve the elected government and hold a fresh election at any time. Religion The primary religion of the native Nesarians is Elveta, with a sizeable minority of Orthodox Christians and a much smaller minority of Lutherans and Catholics, although most Catholics in Nesaria are Italian immigrants. Morrokhi is also followed by the Orcs. For the non-Orcish population (i.e. Humans and Elves), the predominant religion is Elveta at approximately 55%, followed by Orthodox Christianity at 20%, Christelvetism at 10%, Lutheranism and Catholicism both at 4%, and various other religious minorities make up 3%. Approximately 4% of the population is irreligious, a proportion that has been growing since the Bloodless Revolution of 1980. The Orcish population (approximately 90% of which lives in Mortia) has very distinct religious demographics and so it is usually represented separately. The predominant religion is Reformed Morrokhi at 67%, followed by Old Morrokhi at 15%, Orthodoxy at 8%, and both Lutheranism and Elveta at 4%, with just 2% being irreligious. Orthodox Christianity is the fastest growing religion in Nesaria as of 2020, receiving more converts than any other faith amongst both Humans and Orcs. Nesarian law is influenced to a great degree by Elvetan teaching, and many religious crimes - such as desecrating temples or graves (of any religion, not just Elvetan ones), desecrating Limacavate and killing a Rexada outside of the Dawnhail season carry the death penalty. Flag The flag of Nesaria is a purple saltire with a golden sun in the centre, on top of a white background. * The golden sun represents King Yakela, leader of the Gods. The sun is his symbol. * The purple saltire has two meanings. The purple colour represents the monarchy, and the shape of the saltire derives from the shape of two crossed swords, a symbol that broadly represents some form of defensive warfare in Elvic culture. With these two meanings combined, the purple saltire represents the Emperor's unyielding defence of Nesaria and its people. * The white background represents the purity and truth of the Gods. Before a legal distinction was made between Nesaria and the Nesarian Empire under the rule of Emperor Athdus III, this flag was also the flag of the Nesarian Empire, and it was historically the flag of the Kingdom of Ascaria.